


Red

by ruskarmelita



Series: Across the Stars [2]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Star Wars Setting, Celebrations, Coruscant (Star Wars), Emotional Sex, F/M, Feelings Realization, Fluff and Angst, Force Bond (Star Wars), Force Visions, Force-Sensitive Reader, Love Confessions, Mentioned Padmé Amidala, Older Man/Younger Woman, POV Darth Vader, Politics, Possessive Behavior, Post-Star Wars: Return of the Jedi, Protective Darth Vader, Reader-Insert, Semi-Public Sex, Smut, Suitless Darth Vader
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-19
Updated: 2020-08-19
Packaged: 2021-03-05 21:35:20
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,372
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25992223
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ruskarmelita/pseuds/ruskarmelita
Summary: “I love you,” she breathlessly told him, making him halt his own breathing, his body freezing at her words.“You -loveme?” he finally asked with a hoarse voice, failing to hear how he sounded so unsure and broken, expecting her to take back her own words or perhaps mishearing her confession, his mind playing a trick on him.“I thought,” his voice cracked. “I thought we had decided to break things off,” he started, practically choking on his words as he spoke them. “That we should have never started this in the first place. That our feelings were clouding our judgments, making us - me do things that made us both regret our decisions.”“I know,” her own voice broke. “Iknow- I just - I just wanted you to know. And that this confession doesn’t have to changeanything. My feelings for you will never change even after what you’ve done. I didn’t know it then but I was already in love with you, before you told me so yourself - “ she trailed off, searching his face with her gaze.
Relationships: Anakin Skywalker | Darth Vader/Reader, Anakin Skywalker/Reader, Darth Vader/Reader
Series: Across the Stars [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1886491
Comments: 6
Kudos: 69





	Red

**Author's Note:**

> This chapter was rewritten from my original story, **Wanted for Evil** from Vader's POV in Chapter 45. If you've stumbled on this without first reading the original story then you will be confused but you're welcome to read it regardless. 
> 
> The image I posted with this story I made so myself by finding some images and combining them in a collage. The girl in this image is by no means the actual protagonist, but the actress has been my inspiration to write this story in the first place and who I've always imagined as the main heroine. I just wanted to share it with you all as an additional gift of how much this story means to me.
> 
> With that in mind, enjoy ~

He was losing patience. 

From the moment he stepped his foot on Coruscant, he was fighting with his instincts to slash at someone, to snap someone’s neck, to kill. Thrawn’s orders were clear: no unnecessary violence. Yet a week later, he was on the brink of disobeying that order, consequences be damned. He was _that_ close to run his blade through the Chiss’s heart and end it all. This obvious humiliation Thrawn was subjecting him through had cost Vader a considerable amount of self control. 

Now he stood by Thrawn’s side, posing as his loyal subject, making his skin crawl from the memories of serving his old master, Palpatine, the same way. Always by his side, always obeying him. He was tired. Agitated. Torn. He wanted _her_ . The agonizing week long torture of not seeing the woman he _loved_ , the woman he _hurt_ had started taking its toll on him. He was _craving_ her. He fought with himself every moment to open up the bond they shared, to let her senses overwhelm him. Yet, he refused each time, telling himself this was for the best. That he did this to both of them, had broken her trust, had hurt her. That she wanted nothing to do with him.

Yet, the Force was cruel. It had shown her to him the night before, standing stark naked in front of him, evoking feelings he tried so hard to bury for the past week. His eyes had taken her form, hunger erupting from the depths of his cold heart, going straight down to his crotch. He wished more than anything to close the distance between the two of them and rip the towel from her hands, instead covering her naked body with his, his hands running up and down her hips, pushing her against him. Yet, once again, he refrained. Instead, his gaze found a burn mark scorching her flawless skin on her back and he frowned. 

She had tried to hide the truth from him, going as far as lying to him, which he for once ignored, instead calling out her bluff on the obvious result of her wound. She had no choice but to admit it was Maul that had done this to her. He almost lost his control right there and then, holding on to his sanity just to hear out her excuse, which was bizarre enough to the point of stumping him. She had asked to train with Maul, and had asked him to refrain from mentioning anything to Thrawn, which had alarmed him more than it should have. She was hiding something from him.

Yet, regardless of how much he wanted to pry more information out of her, the mere plea with him not to hurt Maul had enraged him to the point of forgetting about everything else. He was _jealous_ , his mind consumed by thoughts of her having attachments to anyone but him. And so he accused her of having feelings for the other Sith, which she vehemently refused. But he couldn’t stop, the seed of doubt already planted within his mind. He wanted no one else claiming her, she belonged only to _him_ and him alone. And regardless of how insane he sounded, he had once again twisted the facts into what he believed was the truth. And regardless of how many times that had interfered with his relationships, he could not stop. He was merely an insecure man. 

His attention was snapped back to the present, with several Moffs and Admirals surrounding him, congratulating him on the recent obliteration of the Rebels, while secretly plotting his demise. He scoffed, reading through their simple minds like an open book. He had forgotten how shallow these people could be, only caring about themselves and their titles to boost their positions within the Empire. And their current objective was to get on his good grace, in hopes that one day he would bestow them with his praise and attention. He almost laughed. If he had the chance, he’d wipe them all out, cleaning out the weeds amidst the ranks. 

A shift in the corner of his eye had caught his attention and he turned his head to look at Thrawn, who up until now was sitting on his throne, looking almost bored in the way he carried himself with a distant look in his eyes. Thrawn’s gaze was snapped to someone up ahead, his posture straight, his earlier languor all but evaporated and replaced with attentiveness to the subject at hand, which had surprisingly made the Chiss smile. 

He turned his head in the common direction and almost faltered, his breath hitching and his breathing apparatus wheezing as it skipped a breathing cycle. Through the red haze of his mask, his gaze landed on the most beautiful creature making her way down the marble stairs, all the eyes focused on her grandeur entrance. He could not tear his own gaze away, transfixed on her face, carefully composed but with the defiance still burning in her gaze directed at Thrawn. He almost felt proud, _almost_ , if not for the fact that he wished she would at least look at him. 

Another spike of jealousy rose through him, this time marred by the desire to possess the woman in front of him, who had stopped at the foot of the podium, staring at Thrawn with the vicious glare in her eyes. He felt no fear from her, saw not an ounce of trepidation one should feel in the presence of the Supreme Leader, regardless of the fact that the said man possessed no Force talents. Add to the fact that she refused to give Thrawn an ounce of courtesy had made Vader feel _wrong_ . She refused to show the same fear of Maul, yet just last night she fought with herself to keep her own fear hidden from _him_. When once she never feared him, she was now thoroughly terrified of the beast that was Darth Vader after he choked her. He had cursed himself over and over again for the slip of his control, wishing more than anything to turn back the time and change what happened back on his flagship. 

“ _Commander_ [Y/N],” Thrawn’s voice snapped his mind back to the present and he finally tore his gaze away from the woman, albeit reluctantly, to stare at the Chiss. 

“It is an honor to have you here to celebrate the end of the Galactic War,” Thrawn continued. “After all, if it wasn’t for _you_ , then I’m afraid the fall of the Rebellion couldn’t have come sooner than it did. You’ve made the right choice to allow the High Council believe that Darth Vader could be trusted, his own daughter, the General of the Rebel Alliance giving you an order to retrieve him from the prison and transport him to the Rebel’s hideout. I must say, your execution of such a marvelous and brilliant plan was exceptional,” Thrawn finished, the Chiss’s eyes gleaming in the spotlight. 

He wrestled with himself to stay still, his anger and hate now directed at Thrawn and his words. Just like the Chiss had made sure to corner Vader by using the tactic of using Leia in their _negotiations_ , he was now publicly announcing the Commander as the traitor as well, thus alienating her from the Rebellion if she were to ever step her foot back to them, which he hoped would be after tonight’s event. He had to get her off the planet, as far away from the Coruscant and the oppressing aura of Thrawn, overshadowed by Palpatine, as he could by any means necessary. Even if she refused his help. He had already done far enough harm to care about what she thought of his tactics at this point. 

“I greatly appreciate your praise, Supreme Leader,” she finally replied, tilting her head down in a fake display of politeness. “I must say even _I_ could not come up with such blatant and exaggerated lies, as you have done so yourself. I must thank _you_ for your efforts to bring the war to its end with _any_ means necessary,” she raised her head to give Thrawn a pointed look, the double-meaning in her words clear as any day. 

He immediately halted his breath, shifting in his spot, his hand twitching to grab the hilt of his lightsaber, sensing an immediate threat directed from Thrawn. She had just outright called Thrawn out for the man’s own foul play in the events leading up to the defeat of the Rebellion, accusing him of orchestrating the downfall of the Rebel Alliance. Thrawn’s jaw twitched, the muscles on his face straining as he tensily smiled back, fighting with himself to hold himself back. There would be hell to pay tonight, he surmised, if the woman managed to survive. He directed his own hidden glare at her, practically urging her to be silent so as to not anger the Chiss any more than she already did. 

“Well,” Thrawn finally answered, his voice strained. “I suppose the celebration had just begun, I would hate to hold the events back with our boring talks. There is no need for further introductions, the galaxy now knows of yours and Vader’s heroic contributions to the might of the New Empire. You are our honored guests, I would certainly hope you’ll enjoy yourself, after all tomorrow shall bring new _affairs_.”

Before Vader could even intercept her, she had already turned around and swiftly placed some distance away from the throne, refusing to even spare a glance in his direction. He watched her make a way towards the center of the ballroom, her gaze searching for something, or rather someone. He almost moved from his spot when another officer made his way towards her, obviously intoxicated as he leered down at her, as she swiftly declined whatever compliment the man was shedding her way until she unexpectedly made her way to the last person he expected her to be with. The Grand Admiral Piett. 

“She is quite a spit-fire, that one,” Thrawn had interrupted his musings, instantly drawing Vader’s attention back to the Chiss, who had situated himself back down on his throne, watching the woman with a hidden look in his eyes. “I would even say she might be a little _too_ much for your own preferences, Lord Vader.”

“And what prompts you to come to this conclusion?” he hissed back, glaring at the man in front of him through the lenses of his mask. 

“A simple observation,” Thrawn replied, faintly smiling, refusing to elaborate more on the subject. 

He turned his head back to the woman, frowning when he saw her gulping down the alcoholic drink in front of Piett, followed instantly by another one. What the hell was she _doing_? 

The more she conversed with Piett, the more he became anxious from observing his Grand Admiral respond to whatever it was the woman was telling him. It only confirmed his suspicions when Piett darted a worrisome look towards him, instantly making him tense. She wouldn't dare say anything that could jeopardize her life, would she? He didn’t miss the spike of concern and irritation waffling from his Grand Admiral, followed by mild shock and then indignation at whatever the woman was telling him, which had prompted several people around them to turn and give them both curious glances.

“An idealist such as herself won’t survive long in our world, Lord Vader,” Thrawn had once more cut through his own musings, drawing his attention back to the Chiss. 

“You’re mistaken to consider her to be an idealist,” he simply answered, watching the man in front of him. 

“Is that so?” Thrawn raised his own gaze to stare at his mask. “I suppose you will say you never considered Senator Amidala to be one either.”

He instantly tensed, his anger returning full force at Thrawn’s statement, practically seething with it at the mention of his dead wife. How _dare_ he to insinuate such a thing in the presence of Darth Vader?

“I fail to see how the mention of the dead senator pertains to the subject at hand,” he spat, fighting with himself to control his rage, instead deciding to ignore the obvious threat thrown his way meant to rile him up. Thrawn was subtly warning him, he had already done so with his statement earlier to the woman for crossing the line not meant to be crossed, especially in the position she was in.

“You’ve said so yourself,” Thrawn had replied instead, his gaze now directed back to the gathering of people in front of him. “She is but a _dead_ memory.”

He has had enough of this. Without so much as even glancing the way of the Chiss, he used the Force as the warning to apply subtle pressure on the man’s neck while he stepped down the podium in haste, looking for the woman who up until this moment was conversing with Piett. But upon seeing his very flushed Grand Admiral hastily approaching him, he paused and released the hold on Thrawn, instantly forgetting of the sputtering man behind him. His focus was now solely on Piett. 

“Lord Vader,” Piett addressed him, a nervous tweak to the man’s voice which had caught his attention immediately and he narrowed his eyes, staring down at the Grand Admiral.

“What has she told you?” he asked, without any preamble, getting right to the point. Speaking of which, where the hell had she run off to this time?

“Commander [Y/N]?” Piett clarified, clearing his throat while instantly looking around the two of them to make sure there were no ears to eavesdrop the conversation. “I’m afraid I must have misunderstood her message - “

“What was it?” he insisted, interrupting the man in front of him with a rumbling voice coming from his vocoder. 

“A message to you, My Lord,” Piett continued, nervously swallowing a lump in his throat. “It appears there is another enemy that threatens the Empire’s reign, more so than what we originally presumed was the Rebel Alliance. The Commander was insistent that it was not the Rebellion that was planning on orchestrating a planned attack that is presumably supposed to happen tomorrow.”

He curled his hands into fists, the Grand Admiral’s words making him clench his teeth, his body tensing at the implication behind the man’s words. What has _she_ gotten herself into _this_ time?

“I was told to relay this information to you tomorrow, My Lord,” Piett continued after the Dark Lord refused to say anything to Piett’s earlier statement. “And that the Commander hoped you’d give me a direct command to attack the Imperial Fleet should there be a change in the Empire’s ruling system, according to her words,” with the last part of the sentence, Piett had lowered his voice almost to a whisper, afraid that someone could and would try to overhear what it was the two men were conversing about, especially in the nearby presence of the Supreme Leader who was glaring daggers at Vader’s back. 

He jerked his head, his senses instantly finding the presence of the woman under the columns of the ballroom, hidden in the shadows with none other than Darth Maul himself. He almost growled, seeing the proximity between the two, her casually leaning against the column and speaking softly with the Zabrak male, who in turn was not glaring or scowling in anyone’s direction but simply having a semblance of a conversation with the woman. 

“My Lord - “ Piett started but he simply raised his gloved hand, halting the other man’s attempt at trying to say more. 

“Keep this information between us. We will discuss this further in _private_ ,” he said with a low voice, his focus entirely on the woman, ignoring the alarmed and shocked expression on the Grand Admiral’s face. He had heard enough to at least figure out a semblance of what it was the woman was planning, making his insides clench from anxiety and fear, the two feelings he had not felt in quite a while. 

He hastily made his way across the ballroom, heading straight towards the woman, his steps quick and firm, the aura around him menacing. Maul had seen his approach, instantly drawing the attention of the woman, her eyes wide, a guilty look in her eyes that she quickly hid by finishing the glass with the alcoholic beverage in one gulp, much to his own dismay of seeing her drinking so much in one night. 

She hastily tore herself away from her spot and started weaving through bodies of people, trying to place a distance between herself and him. She turned her head to see him gaining speed, her eyes still wide, realizing he was approaching her much faster than she could possibly get away, all due to the fact that his pathway was cleared as people parted away from the menacing figure of the Sith Lord stalking their way. He watched her stumble in her steps, tripping over her dress before she finally made it out of the ballroom and out of his sight, prompting him to increase his own speed until he stopped in the hallway, seeing the flash of her red dress at the end of it, making a headway towards the gardens and lower levels of the Imperial Center. He halted for the Inquisitors to remain in their spot, guarding the entrance to the ballroom, before he followed her trail, seeking her out through the Force until he stopped in front of the hidden entrance, a secluded balcony concealed from the public’s view, overlooking the lush gardens below and the illuminated skyscrapers and traffic of the Coruscant up above.

He had taken off his helmet and mask in the process of pursuing her, trying to hide his presence as much as possible so as to not give himself right away, before stepping inside the balcony, the sight catching his breath. Before his eyes was an _angel_ , the night sky contrasting with the soft glow of the lights, creating an ethereal effect around the woman, illuminating the red color of her dress. It was a magnificent sight, his own eyes taking in her form, pressed against the railing of the balcony, overlooking the lights up above and around her, her breaths coming up in huffs in the chill air of the night from her earlier exertion of trying to outrun him. 

“It is futile to try and run away from me,” his unmodified voice startled her from behind and she whirled around to stare at his uncovered face, his mask and helmet in his one hand, his eyes boring into her as he stood at the entrance to the balcony. 

He watched her face, startled from finding him standing there, with her back now pressed against the railing, feeling trapped. The wind softly caressed her exposed skin and the wisps of her hair, his gaze taking in her features until it traveled down her body, darkening as the desire slowly coursed through his system until he willed himself to snap out of his self-imposed trance and snap his gaze back to her face, his eyes narrowing as he stepped forward. 

“What was it you were discussing with Maul?” he asked, his voice carefully controlled, his rage simmering below the surface. 

“Nothing,” she shrugged, keeping her voice level and her breathing even, pretending to be unbothered by his question while he felt her trepidation through the Force.

“ _Nothing?_ ” he hissed, planting another step. “I suppose you’ll also tell me you were discussing mere frivolities with my Grand Admiral?” he barked, his voice taut. 

She drew a sharp breath. “Piett and I were merely discussing our views on politics and our obvious similarities - “

“ _Do not lie to me_ ,” he roared, his tone threatening, the Force swirling around them both in warnings and for the first time in days he let his emotions run through the shared bond with the woman, letting her feel all of his rage and anger, but below it all the undeniable fierceness to want to protect her, merging borderline of hopelessness that he couldn’t do even that. 

When she refused to answer, he continued.“What were you _thinking_ ?” he was practically yelling at her, his features dark and menacing. “You will cease these foolish attempts _immediately_ and board the shuttle I have prepared for you that will take you aboard the _Executor_.”

She huffed, straightening herself as she glared at him. “ _No_ ,” she told him, conveying in her tone that her decision was final. 

“That is not your choice,” he snapped, his blood boiling with anger, while he advanced on her until he stood right in front of the woman. “You do not have a say on that matter. You were careless and heedless in your ways, drawing an unwanted attention to yourself and had made a scene in front of Thrawn, causing his wrath to fall on you. Do you realize - “

“I don’t care,” she told him firmly, interrupting his tirade. 

“You don’t care that he plans on killing you?” he snapped, all of his pretense of trying to contain his rage dissipating, his anger now solely directed at her. 

“That won’t happen,” she tried to reassure him, unfazed by his anger. Her lack of fear had startled him, for once she seemed to possess none of it in his presence since the whole incident with him choking her. Perhaps it was all the alcohol she drank that made her feel fearless in his overwhelming presence in the otherwise tense situation. 

“Indeed it won’t,” he growled. “Because you will be leaving here at once.”

He made a notion to reach for her but she drew away from him, her back suddenly hitting against the balcony railing and she hissed from pain, stopping his arm mid air. 

“I told you I won’t be going anywhere,” she argued, shaking her head. “Everything is already in motion - “

“ _Everything?_ ” he repeated, his eyes narrowed. “You spoke with Piett about another enemy of the Empire, _who?_ ”

“He was supposed to wait until after the events of tonight to tell you of this,” she sighed, looking at his enraged face, her words making him want to unleash the full power of the Force. 

“You planned on this,” he continued, gears clicking in his head as he placed the missing pieces. “The marks on your skin, your obvious _alliance_ with Maul, your _training_ with him - you are planning on sabotaging Thrawn’s plans - “ he trailed off as the realization dawned on him, his eyes going wide.

“You cannot possibly think your little plan will work,” he said with a deadpan expression on his face, his shock briefly overriding his rage. “You will be killed - “

“I am a dead woman regardless of the situation,” she calmly reminded him, raising her eyebrow to give him a pointed look. “At least now I have a choice to decide how I want to spend my life and how to end it. If it means helping the galaxy get rid of the monster, then I’ll do it in a heartbeat.”

His face darkened, his rage overtaking him once more. “ _You will do no such thing_ ,” he roared, making her flinch from the volume of his voice next to her face as he towered over her small form. 

“You don’t get to decide that - “ she started to which he unexpectedly grabbed her shoulders, in the process dropping his helmet and mask on the ground next to his feet, squeezing the woman in his tight grip as he shook her, making her gasp in surprise. 

“You cannot trust Maul to keep his end of the bargain, whatever deal you’ve made with him will backfire on you. He is a Sith, first and foremost, his own ambitions and goals will override whatever promise he’d made you - “ he quickly started, speaking with desperation in his voice uncharacteristic of him. 

“You speak from your own experience then?” she asked him, earning a low groan from him as he uttered a curse under his breath. This woman was thinning his own patience, testing his resolve. 

“I will _always_ keep my promise to you,” he squeezed her tighter, trying to emphasize his words. “I won’t let anyone harm you - “

“Then _trust_ me to do what I think is right,” she whispered, making him falter in his heated speech, his gaze hard on her face. 

“ _Trust_ ,” he spat the word as though it was a poison. “You’d dare to use the same word you accused me of robbing you with my actions?”

Just a week ago she had told him he had broken her trust when he charged at her with his blade back on his own flagship, which had resulted in him choking her in a slip of his own control. Yet now, she was throwing the word around like it meant absolutely _nothing_ . How could he trust _her_ if he couldn’t even trust _himself_? 

“Yes,” she told him, barely above a whisper. “I won’t back down from this. I _will_ fight you if you decide on dragging me aboard your ship. I won’t let you take me that easily.”

“I can simply knock you out,” he interjected with a haughty tone, the look in his eyes confirming his words. He’d do _anything_ to get her out of here even with her silly promise he easily disregarded as a mere joke. 

“I’m serious,” she told him, huffing in annoyance, practically pursuing her lips as something a small child would do. “If you do that I will _never_ forgive you - “

“We are past the point of you ever forgiving me,” he said with a tinge of regret coloring his voice. “I don’t think one more strike against me will ever change that. I will do what I must to protect you even if you’ll hate me for it.”

He grabbed her arms, insistently tugging her as he started advancing towards the exit of the balcony. She dug her heels, fighting him as she tried to wrestle herself from his steeled grip, all her efforts ending in naught. He was physically more powerful than she’d ever be. 

“Vader, _please_ , don’t you see this is the only way,” she started pleading with him, her own desperation clear in her voice. “This is our chance of ending this. If we kill Thrawn then the only one left standing would be Palpatine. All you have to do - “

“No,” he barked, as he turned around and slammed her against the wall, on the inner edge of the balcony, the shadows and his towering figure cast in black hiding them both from the unwanted eyes. 

“I won’t let you die too,” he hoarsely muttered, his voice breaking as he stared at the woman in front of him, watching him with her own wide eyes, her breath hitching from his close proximity to her. Their bond flared, his emotions overwhelming him as he released them into the Force, making her breaths shudder as she felt his heartbreak, sense of utter hopelessness and regret mixed in. He felt silent tears threatening to escape his glistening eyes as he wrestled with himself for a semblance of control. 

“I _can’t_ let you do this,” he whispered, raising one of his gloved hands to softly trail his fingers along her cheek and she subconsciously leaned into his hand, albeit to his utter surprise. Her action made him pause, his eyes searching her face, his gaze becoming impossibly more darker, inner want overtaking his other senses. 

She should have been repulsed or even afraid of his touch after everything he’d done, yet her emotions were haywired and projected across their bond, mirroring the things he felt within his own heart and he fought with himself to avoid making another mistake while struggling to remain within her vicinity, his body wanting to lean into hers and feel her warmth. She must have realized the same thing, when she leaned herself closer to him, startling him with her response to his closeness. 

“This is madness,” he groaned, trying to pull away only for her to grab him by his belt, lacing her fingers through the loops of his suit, pulling him closer to her. “You told me you’d never let me touch you after - “

The look in her eyes had made him stop, his words dying with an intake of his breath as she buried her face into his chest.

“Please don’t hurt me again,” she softly murmured, startling him with her quiet voice, trying to conceal her pain and tears by hiding her face from his view. “I can’t - I don’t think I’ll be able to forgive you again.”

“You _forgave_ me?” he asked, his shock clear in his voice at the absurdity of it all. 

“Yes,” she whispered, shocking him further. “I’ve forgiven you.”

He was silent for a while, trying to wrap his mind around her words, having a hard time believing that she would have forgiven him that easily. His own response was a slow draw of his shaky breath, his other hand sneaking behind her and loosely falling on the small of her back as he pressed her closer to him. 

“You shouldn’t have,” he finally responded after a while. “I’m not worthy of your forgiveness. I’ve done nothing _but_ hurt you, how can you possibly forget it all and - “

“I can’t forget it,” she interrupted him, her voice muffled. “I will never forget but I - I _need_ you. I want to trust you again, so _please_ \- “ she trailed off, her voice breaking from the emotions overwhelming her. 

He wasn’t even sure what it was she was pleading him with, except that her words had caused a sudden shift within him, fueling him, his heart beating erratically inside his chest that she could most likely feel with her head pressed against his chest. He tried to shift his body and readjust himself so he could properly look at her but her next words had completely frozen him on the spot. 

“ _I love you_ ,” she breathlessly told him, making him halt his own breathing, his body freezing at her words. 

“You - _love_ me?” he finally asked with a hoarse voice, failing to hear how he sounded so unsure and broken, expecting her to take back her own words or perhaps mishearing her confession, his mind playing a trick on him. 

She stayed silent with her face still buried within his chest and he wished he could see her expression, see her eyes and the look in them, see if she was actually telling him the truth, regardless of what the Force was telling him. He was afraid to admit that her words had scared him, for reasons he believed were due to the fact that he was afraid to lose her like he lost Padme. 

“I thought,” his voice cracked. “I thought we had decided to break things off,” he started, practically choking on his words as he spoke them. “That we should have _never_ started this in the first place. That our feelings were clouding our judgments, making us - _me_ do things that made us both regret our decisions.”

She finally raised her head, finding his eyes boring into hers, the yellow in them completely gone replaced by the color blue he knew she loved looking at so much, his Anakin side slowly leaking through and overshadowing the coldness he encased himself in, the product of years being enveloped by the Dark Side, by being Vader. Yet, she managed to crack the ice and reach for his heart with her words, making him painfully aware that he was indeed in love with her, the darkness slowly receding in the shadows of his soul, replaced by the warm glow he could feel through their bond.

“I know,” her own voice broke. “I _know_ \- I just - I just wanted you to know. And that this confession doesn’t have to change _anything_. My feelings for you will never change even after what you’ve done. I didn’t know it then but I was already in love with you, before you told me so yourself - “ she trailed off, searching his face with her gaze. 

He was silent, his eyes never leaving her face, his grip on her back tightening as he pressed her closer against his chest, not paying attention to the fact that the rough surface of his box and control switches were digging in through the fabric of her dress but neither had she as they stared at one another. His focus was solely on her, her face softened by the Coruscant light sparkling in the distance of a cool night, making her features glow, the light flickering in her dark gaze, captivating him. 

“I - you shouldn’t love a Sith,” his voice was a whisper, carried across by the soft wind. 

“It’s already too late for that,” she replied just as softly, smiling through her tears, inching herself closer to his face with each spoken word. “I truly - _deeply_ \- love you and before tomorrow I wanted you to know that.”

His eyes widened, another memory from another life long forgotten emerging from the depths of Anakin’s charred soul, recalling the similar words Padme had spoken to him back on Geonosis, before the fated fight at the arena, before he and Padme thought they’d die together that day, before they damned themselves and their lives when she had professed her feelings for him, sealing their fates. 

His heart clenched with a painful jerk, his hand gripping the fabric of the women’s dress in front of him. He had decided to damn them both long before she told him of her feelings and kriff being rational and sensible, he wanted nothing more than this moment to never end. He pulled her closer before he lowered his head, meeting her halfway as his hot lips collided with hers, sealing them both in a soft kiss. 

It was different than before, his lips working around her, slow and sensual, pleasure and desire coursing through his body at the intimate contact with her, her hands gripping his belt as she tried to close the nonexistent space between their bodies. He was slow with his movements, this time taking his time as he explored her mouth, making her whimper against him as he expertly entered the insides of her mouth, playing with her tongue, evoking more pleasurable sounds from her that made his whole body twitch, the arousal going straight down to his crotch. His kiss turned into a fervent frenzy, her lipstick smearing over his lips as he hungrily devoured her. 

He pushed her against the wall, making her gasp as his body pressed against hers, pinning her in place as he placed his knee between her legs, hitting the spot between her thighs that made her elicit a low moan which he caught with his mouth, hungrily devouring it, softly growling under his breath. He was not expecting for her to start rubbing herself against his knee, trying to find pleasure from the situation he placed her in, making him groan again. His hands started leisurely roaming over her body before settling on her hips as he finally pulled away, allowing them both to gasp for much needed breaths. 

“Wrap your arms around my neck,” he told her, his voice tight and low, his need pulsing in the Force and slamming against her own. She did as he told her, holding on to him as he ruffled the layers of her skirt, his movements disarrayed and frantic, cursing under his breath at the complexity of the dress until he finally reached the underskirt, his gloved fingers grazing her exposed skin on the inner thigh and she whimpered, biting her lip as she gazed at him with dark eyes, his own gaze dark and consumed by his own need. 

He was so impatient that he failed to warn her, his fingers tearing the material of her underwear, removing the unneeded fabric from his path until his fingers found her folds, already slicked from her arousal and she moaned, rolling her eyes in the back of her head as he insistently started moving inside of her, thrusting his gloved digits in and out, coating the outer layers of his glove with her fluids which neither of them cared at the moment. He focused on her face and her blissful expression as he stroked her, eliciting more moans from her throat that she tried to muffle by biting her lips. 

“Vader, p-please,” she begged him, her focus entirely on him, her eyes filled with desire echoing his own.

He abruptly withdrew his fingers to her soft cry of displeasure, his hands settling on the sides of her thighs, palming the skin under his grasp. “Hold on tight,” he rasped and she complied, grasping his cape with her fingers as he lifted her in the air and she immediately wrapped her legs around the small of his back, grinding her exposed core against his codpiece and trying to create some friction between their bodies. 

He groaned, pushing her further into the wall, his hand going down to his belt and unbuckling it, letting it fall on the hard floor of the balcony with a thud along with his lightsaber and then he fumbled with his codpiece, unzipped the material of his leather suit and freed his aching erection to a soft hiss from his lips, pressing his member against her wet entrance and rubbing it against her slits. They both moaned in unison, savoring the feel of each other against one another, their bond humming in anticipation, loud and insistent for them to consummate the act. 

With an impatient thrust of his hips, he was inside of her, stretching her with his thickness, making her gasp as she clenched her inner walls around him, making him groan and squeeze his eyes shut, savoring the feel of her all around his cock, warm and tight and oh so _wet_. He stilled, letting her accommodate to his large size from his sudden intrusion, his breaths harsh on her neck as he dipped his head and started sucking on her skin, drawing low moans from her until she bucked her hips, wordlessly telling him she was ready for him.

He started moving, setting a hard and insistent pace, ramming his hips against hers, sounds of skin on leather reverberating through the air, mixed with the sounds of harsh breaths and low moans, accompanied by occasional grunts from him as he continued to thrust himself with a sense of desperation in his movements, his own desires and need consuming his reason. She tried to stifle her moans, burying her face into his neck, muffling her sounds with her mouth pressed against his shoulder guard as he switched his pace, now moving with much slower but deeper thrusts, hitting the certain spot inside of her that made her toes curl from pure ecstasy and her walls clench around him, earning new sets of groans from his throat.

She was whispering incoherent things to him while he continued his movements, not paying much mind to anything she was saying, concentrating on his movement as his cock slid in and out of her with ease, his length covered in her fluids with the wet sounds squelching in between his thrust, making him groan from pleasure, the sounds only spurring him on with his insistent pace. He rolled his hips, making her cry out from pleasure rocking through her body, her attempts at trying to be silent all but damned. He almost smirked from inadvertently reading her fleeting thoughts about someone walking in on them, catching them in such a disgraceful act in a public place. She was right, he certainly wouldn’t let anyone live to tell the tale of someone witnessing them engaged in this intimate act. 

“D-don’t p-pull out,” she breathlessly moaned and he paused, startled by her odd request until she squeezed his member with her inner walls and he lost his mind and his body inside of her, feeling her heating up around him. He knew she was close. 

He groaned, increasing his pace once again, his movements becoming erratic and hard, slamming his hips with such intensity that rocked her body against the wall, consumed by the need to finish that he hardly cared if he was actually hurting her with his thrusts, her tensing around his length and drawing more groans from him as he felt himself nearing the end. 

“ _Vader_ ,” she moaned, rolling her eyes in the back of her head as she finally exploded, her core spasming around his length still moving inside of her through her orgasm, coaxing intense pleasure out of her as he continued to thrust himself through her intense release. 

“ _Fuck_ ,” he moaned, his voice hoarse as he stilled inside of her with a final snap of his hips, his cock throbbing and pulsating inside of her, spilling his hot seed and filling her up. He stayed still for a while after that, resting his head on her shoulder as he tried to catch his breath, a feeling of elation and calm settling over him, lulling him to relax and enjoy the moment. The Force hummed in approval, its tendrils weaving through their bond and he finally noticed the unusual way the woman below him was stiffened, unresponsive to him and the slow ministrations of his hands around her hips. 

He raised his head just in time for her to audibly gasp, her hands tightening around his neck as she spasmed around him, softly whining into the crook of his neck, causing him to groan from her sudden overstimulation overwhelming him. He roughly pulled out, making her cry out from the sudden movement, his seed spilling out of her and dripping on the floor of the balcony. She softly whined from the loss of contact between their bodies as he carefully placed her feet on the ground, supporting her weight with his hands. He ran his hand down her face, wiping the remnants of her lipstick from her lips, his gaze searching hers until they both locked their eyes on each other. 

“Are you alright?” he finally asked, his hand now trailing up to her hair, its style all but ruined, her hair falling around her face, slightly sticky from sweat at the base of the neck but otherwise she looked absolutely perfect in his eyes. “I didn’t hurt you, did I? I wasn’t too rough - “

“No,” she hastily interrupted him, shaking her head. “No, it was good - _amazing_ actually. _Thank you._ ”

He gave her a perplexed look, her words not making much sense in the context of them just having sex, before he shifted and zipped himself up, replacing his codpiece and then lifted his belt with the Force, clipping it around his suit just as she did the same, adjusting the skirts of her dress and trying to make herself somewhat manageable enough to be adequately presentable to the public. 

“You spaced out for a minute there,” he finally remarked, noticing how her body visibly stiffened, drawing his attention to her face, unsure as to the cause of her obvious discomfort. 

“I - it was just a very powerful release,” she answered, blushing profusely at her choice of words, refusing to meet his eyes. The Force shifted around him and he knew without having to read her thoughts or glance further into the Force to know that she was lying, that she was hiding something from him. He narrowed his eyes just as she lifted her head, finding his gaze boring into her. 

“I see,” he finally replied, straightening himself out. 

“Vader, I - “

“We must leave immediately,” he started, interrupting her again, his voice returning to a hard and commanding tone, trying to get rid of the uncomfortable lump forming in his throat at the idea that she still did not trust him enough to tell him the truth. 

“Vader, I won’t go anywhere with you,” she told him, staring at him with a hard look.

“You won’t sway me with your words,” he started, his anger returning once more. She sneaked her hand and wrapped it around his large one, the one he was pleasing her with just moments ago, still slicked with her fluids and his anger immediately dissipated as he stared down at her and watched her face. 

“This is _my_ decision,” she told him, keeping her voice hard. “You must learn to _let go_ , Vader. Learn to _trust_ me. So please, let me do this my way.”

He almost sneered, almost spat the words he wanted to say to her about trust and lack of it on her part but he refrained, biting the inside of his cheek. Instead, he chose to focus on the issue at hand, at what was eating on his insides the most since the day she stopped her foot on Coruscant with him. 

“I can’t lose you,” his voice broke once again, his hand squeezing hers in a painful grip. 

“You won’t have to,” she shook her head. “If everything goes according to plan, then neither of us will end up dead, except for Thrawn. And you won’t be suspected of killing him.”

“I don’t like this,” he growled, his eyes blazing with anger. “You went behind my back and orchestrated a plan without first consulting me - “

“And you would have done the same exact thing,” she pointed out, sighing. “Just promise me you won’t get in the way.”

“I will give you no such promise,” he snapped. “I have yet to agree to this plan. If anything, I am still considering knocking you out and whisking you away from here.”

She suddenly laughed, earning a glare from him, his mood souring even further. “I missed this,” she told him, leaning her body closer to his, burying her face into his chest, deeply inhaling his scent. “I missed _you_ , really.”

She wrapped her arms around his back, drawing small circles with her hands, creating a comfortable silence between the two of them to which he was grateful for. It gave him enough focus to finally address what was bothering him ever since their fight on the _Executor_. The part he was agonizing over for the past week while he was denied seeing her. 

“ _I’m sorry_ ,” he finally uttered, surprising her with his words as he wrapped his own arms around her back, his head falling in the crook of her neck, inhaling the sweet scent of her perfume mixed with a floral shampoo she used to wash her hair. He felt the need to elaborate on his words, pouring out his feelings that he kept hidden for the past week. “For everything. I’m sorry for hurting you - for breaking your trust - for making you doubt me - for letting you see me in my worst state. _I truly am sorry._ ”

“I know,” she told him quietly, the truth in her words humming in the Force. “Which is why I forgave you.”

He was silent as he thought over her words, tightening his arms around her. “I won’t let Palpatine near you,” he whispered with intensity, committing himself to the promise that he’d rid of Palpatine once and for all. “I will kill him, I promise. And then I’ll come back to you.”

“I’ll be waiting,” she whispered, planting a soft kiss on the side of his neck.

“I have something for you,” he shifted, lightly pulling her away from him to present her with a ring, the same one that acted as a cloaking device he’d given her back on Mustafar and the one she’d worn on the _Executor_. He had taken it off her finger when she lost consciousness from her wound when the Imperials attacked the Rebel’s base and then had worked on it in the few days they spent in his castle on Vjun. She looked up at him in confusion to see him staring at her. 

“I modified it,” he told her, grabbing her hand and placing it on her finger. “You shall be able to access the location of your crew by tapping on it. I planted a holographic map inside of it that will lead you to them.”

“You’ve managed to contact them, then?” she asked, staring down at the ring. 

“I managed to send a decrypted message to Artoo,” he confirmed. “I’m sure that by now the whole galaxy is aware of my return to Coruscant and the lies Thrawn had spread about my involvement with the Rebellion’s defeat, and such information had ultimately already reached the location Leia is hiding at. It will all depend on what Leia ultimately decides on. I cannot control her decisions. I am only hoping whatever she decides on will be a wise choice that won’t endanger her life. And you shall help guide her in making the right decision.”

“ _Me?_ ” she incredulously asked, raising her eyes to give him a panicked look.

“Don’t worry,” he chuckled, sensing her unease. “You are more than capable of dealing with her. After all, she did inherit my worst qualities and you seem to be doing just fine handling them.”

She gave him an unimpressed look to which he smirked, raising his hand to trail his fingers along her cheek. 

“You were quite beautiful tonight,” he admitted, slowly caressing her skin with his gloved fingers. She heated up at his words, blushing from his compliment, making her that much more beautiful. “The red color suits you.”

She smiled. “The color of the Sith,” she told him, to which he shook his head, his eyes boring into her the intensity only he possessed. 

“No,” he argued, dipping his head lower, his lips brushing against hers. “The color of my heart, which now belongs to _you_ ,” he whispered, sealing her in a kiss while hoping that tomorrow would be everything and nothing what he wished for. If only the time would stop and seal this moment with the woman he loved, forever holding her in his arms while he passionately continued to kiss her, reveling at the way he felt so perfect and content with her, as though the Force itself had made her just for him and him _only_. 

**Author's Note:**

> I do hope you enjoyed this little gem written from Vader's perspective and his thought process throughout the whole chapter. I thought it was important to know his feelings and emotions as the culmination part of the story came to an end. 
> 
> I would appreciate your thoughts on this by commenting below and letting me know what you thought of this. Thank you so much!


End file.
